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What Voice Do You Hear?

July 28, 2018

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There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12

I’m amazed at how much I talk to myself. I am constantly talking to me. No one talks to me more than I do. And if I would venture a guess, you would admit that the same is true of you. Every moment of the day, whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re talking to you. Right now, if you’re thinking, I don’t always talk to me, you just talked to yourself.

The voice inside of us, paired with what I’ll call our gut (the way we feel) form the birthplace of many of our decisions.

This can be a good thing, but it needs to have a warning label on it. The warning is Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” There’s a way that seems right to you – that voice in your head that says, ‘This is the way I should go,’ but be careful in listening to it. There will be a time when what “feels” right is out to kill you.

This year, we’ve been shocked by all the stories of abuse and violence. Each story includes a perpetrator who had justified his actions. We’re left looking for something to blame. Think about this short list:

We react to the gruesomeness of the news reports, but then we watch TV episodes and play video games that graphically depict physical violence on the screen.

We sing hymns of redemption, but our “cloud music” subscriptions are filled with explicit lyrics that encourage unhealthy attitudes concerning sexuality. They encourage men to act out and are particularly degrading to women. Should we be surprised when our internal voice takes on the character of our fantasies?

There is something to be gained by listening to a wiser voice than the one babbling away in my head. The wiser voice is God and God’s Word and the something to be gained is LIFE. It’s why I try my best to have the Bible open and be quiet in prayer knowing that God still speaks to His kids.

Our children and our community need people who live by that same kind of wisdom.